Dabbing brush



' Patented July 25, 1933 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DAZBBING BRUSH Application filed April 14, 1981. Serial No. 529,975.

The invention relates to brushes in genoral, and. in particular to dabbing brushes for use in wool-combing machines, or for analogous purposes.

A principal object is to provide for quick and economical replacement of a relatively small part of the brush which is subjected to greatest wear, without necessity for removing or displacing the main portion of the brush from operative position.

Another object is generally to lighten and improve the brush structure, without sacrifice of strength and durability.

In these brushes as used in combing machines, a certain limited part of the bristle area, near one corner of the brushing surface, usually called the heel, is subject to the greatest wear, and when this portion is worn to a certain extent, it has heretofore been necessary to remove and replace'the entire brush, at considerable cost for brush equipment and repair, and with an expensive loss of machine time required for brush removal, replacement and readjustment, this idle time of the machine being usually from ten to fifteen minutes.

An important feature of the invention consists in the provision of a full-sized brush having a removable portion comprising a relatively small brush-section, with means for readily detaching this small section from and attaching it to the main brush or brushsupport in properly registered or adjusted position, which it assumes in the act of at tachment, without any necessity for readjustment of the main portion of the brush, which may remain in place while several of the removable sections are worn out and replaced. The detachable brush-section, of relatively small size, is usually intended merely as a replacement unit, to be thrown away after it is so worn as to require replacement, and therefore may be of simple and cheap construction, while the main brush may be of more elaborate construction, for

the sake of durability and to permit bristle replacement. Removal of a worn detachable section, or heel portion, in accordancewith the invention, and attachment of a new one,

its alloys, and of novel and improved charnbored or cellular structure for the sake of lightness, and having sufiicient or increased strength and rigidity properly to support the brush while in use and also during bristle replacement. Since these brushes move at high speed, light weight is of great importance to reduce vibration, wear on the dabbing motion bearings, and strain on the machine parts, and for other reasons, as understood by persons skilled in the art.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention are further sufliciently explained in connection with the following detail description of the accompanying drawing, which shows one preferred embodiment. After considering this example, skilled persons will understand that many variations may be made without departing from the principles disclosed; and I contemplate employment of any structures that are properly within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a brush structure, embodying the invention in one form.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the face of the supporting block that is put against the staple block of the brush.

' Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section showing the complete brush attached to the foot of the dabbing motion, the whole structure being inverted and the section beingtaken about at the location of line 44 of Fig. 3.

The brush proper, in a preferred form,

comprises (substantially as also shown and more fully described in the cited patent.) a bristle block or plate 1 of tough material (such as fiber or aluminum) with suitably spaced holes to receive the bases of the bristle-tufts 3, and a staple block or plate 5 engaging the back face of the bristle-plate, and of a suitable material, usually wood, into which staples 7 are driven by a bristle-setting machine to secure the bristles in place. The two plates are thus secured together by the bristles and staples, or by additional holding means, but may be separated, after'the bristles are removed, for substitution ofa new staple-plate, when necessary, after a number of bristle-renewals. The two plates thus constitute a body 9 of the brush proper, which is not in the broader aspect of the invention necessarily of two-part, or separable, construction.

This body is detachably secured to a base block, which as shown in the cited patent is a solid block of uniform thickness, and therefore quite heavy, even when made of wood. The improved base 11 as here shown is preferably of a light metal or alloy (such as aluminum or one of its alloys), and for the sake of substantial weight-reduction, with ample strength, it is preferably of generally hollow, chambered, or cellular form. Thus, specifically, as shown, it has a flat main wall or web 13, with integral ribs or flanges 15, 17, including a peripheral fiange-19, the edges of all of these being faced-off to provide a plane surface, consisting of the flange-faces, at the brush-receiving side, which is the lower face when in use; the drawing shows the brush and certain other parts in inverted position. The brush-body 9 is detachably secured to the base 11 by bolts or screws 21 passing through registering holes in the plates 1 and 5 and holes 22 in base 11, and engaging nuts in recesses in the outer face of the base (as shown in the cited patent).

The base has a T-slot 23 extending longitudinally from one end to receive a bolt 25 and its head 27 by which the base is secured to and adjusted to the foot of a supporting element 29 (Fig. 4) of the combing machine. This element is reciprocated rapidly to produce the dabbing action of the brush in cooperation with the combs.

Preferably a supporting or reinforcing plate 31 of suitable material, usually metal (such as steel or iron) and of substantial thickness and stiffness, is placed between body-plate 5 and the base ribs 15, 17, 19, to take the strain imposed upon portions of the body, and especially on plate 5, overlying the inter-rib spaces of the base, including the portion of the T-slot 23 which accommodates the bolt-head 27. Plate 31 has screwholes registering with those in the brush-body and the base. The base is thus reinforced the restapling or bristle-replacing operation may be performed while the brush proper is combined with its base 11, as shown, the strains imposed on the staple-plate 5 by the staple-setter being taken by the plate 31, and splitting or other damage to the staple-plate is avoided or minimized, through the suping ribs on the outside to catch lint, dirt,

and grease, and complicating the problem of providing a broad flat hearing-surface for the foot 29 of the dabbing-motion.

As a principal feature of the invention, a part of the brush is made separately and arranged for quick and easy attachment to or in association with the rest of the brush, and for removal therefrom, preferably without interfering with the mounting or adjustment of the main part of the brush. This separate portion 33, Fig. 1, preferably corresponds to the so-called heel portion of the complete brush, which is subjected to much greater bristle-wear than the rest of the brush, making relatively frequent replacement desirable; heretofore, with the one-piece brush-body in operative condition and position, (as shown in my cited patent), it has been necessary to change or readjust the entire brush as often as the heel bristles are worn to an extent requiring fixing of this portion, and this in turn requires the provision of a considerable number of brushes, frequent replacement of the bristles in the heel portions, and is objectionable for other reasons, as understood by skilled persons.

The detachable heel portion 33 as here shown represents approximately one-fourth of the total brush area, located at one corner of the brush, and comprises a bodyblock 35 of angular shape in plan, usually of Wood, with bristle-tufts 37 set in holes therein, in any suitable way, usually by stapling. Since this brush section is in most cases intended to be thrown away when worn to an extent requiring replacement, it maybe of simple and inexpensive construction, (as compared with the main brush) and therefore its body-block is desirably in one piece, as shown.

The main and detachable brush-bodies have cooperating means or formations for accurately locating the detachable section firmly in operative relation to the main brush.

Such means includes, in the form shown, channel or rabbet formations in the main body edges confronting the edges, or edgefaces of the detachable body. Specifica ly the channels 39 are formed through taking advantage of the two-ply construction by so relatively cutting the edges of the stapleplate 5 and of bristle-plate 1 that the latter project beyond the former, providing flanges 41 consisting of the projecting edge-margins of the bristle-plate The two corresponding inward faces of the removable block 35 are formed with tongues or flanges 43 to fit slidin gly into the channels or rabbets 39. Quickly-operable means is also provided to lock the detachable section in position, consisting as here shown, of a swing-latch 45, pivotally connected at 47 to a side (or end) wall of the base-block 11. ,At one end this latch has a piece 49 laterally offset and bent at a right angle, so that in active position (Fig. 2) the latch end engages the end of block 35 and angle-piece 49 engages the side face at the corner. The detachable block is thus firmly held against lateral displacement, with its flat face engaging and supported by plate 31, and with its tongues 43 engaged in rabbets 39, thus preventing displacement outward from the base-block 11 (or plate 31). When thus combined, the working or bristle-surface of the complete brush is level and continuous, as heretofore.

The latch may have, as shown, a portion 51 extending, from the pivot, in the direction away from the bent or finger-piece end, providing a bearing against the base-block wall, and may also have in that end a projection 53 engaging the wall, and adapted to enter a socket 55 therein when the latch is in active position, to prevent inadvertent displacement from such position. The latch may also be of stiff spring metal, so that by the action of its bearing-end 51, the latchingend 49 is held resiliently and firmly against the detachable-block end and corner.

To remove the detachable brush section when worn, it is only necessary to swing the latch 45 to idle position, as shown in Fig. 1, and move the body-block 35 laterally slightly, to disengage its tongues from the rabbets, and a new brush section is then emplaced by a reversal of the stated operations. This replacement may be accomplished in a very short time, usually less than one-half minute, so that the loss of machine time for brushwheel renewal is greatly reduced and practically negligible.

This replacement operation, obviously, does not involve any alteration of the adj ustment of the main brush, and when the new section is put in place, it is by that act automatically and accurately positioned, ready for immediate resumption of machine operation.

What I claim as my invention is:--'

1. A brush structure for combing machines and the like, comprising a main brush and a detachable brush-section engaging the main brush so as normally to be held immovably thereby, and means on the main brush normally retainin the detachable section in active position 1n association with the main brush.

2. A brush structure for combing machines and the like, comprising a main brush to remain fixed on the machine and a detachable brush-section having interengaging means retaining the detachable section against displacement and relative movement with respect to the main brush.

3. A brush structure for combing machines and the like, comprising a main brush and a quickly detachable brush-section having cooperating interlockingformations retaining the detachable section against displacement from the main brush, and permitting the section to he slid off and removed and replaced while the main brush remains in working position on the machine.

4. A brush structure for combing machines and the like, comprising a main brush to remain fixed on the machine and a detachable brush-section of angular shape having cooperating means retaining the detachable section against displacement from and movement relative to the main brush, and a quickly-operable latch maintaining the cooperating means in engaged relation.

5. A brush structure for combing machines and the like, comprising a supporting base, a main brush including a body secured to the base, and a detachable brush-portion including a body supported on the base in relation to the main brush permitting removal and replacement of the detachable portion while the main brush body remains secured to the ase.

6. A brush structure for combing machines and the like, comprising a supporting base, a-main brush including a body secured to the base, and a detachable brush-portion including a body of angular shape supported on the base in detachable relation to the main brush, the main and detachable bodies having mutually cooperating detachably-engaged retaining formations on two sides of the detachable portion, and latch means movable on the body engaging a third side of the detachable portion.

7. A brush structure for combing machines and the like, comprising a supporting base, a main brush including a body secured to the base, and a detachable brush-portion including a body supported on the base in detachable relation to the main brush, the main body being shaped to provide an opening to receive the detachable body and to hold the latter in immovable operative relation.

8. A brush structure for combing ma chines and the like, comprising a supporting base, a main brush including a. body secured to the base, and a detachable brush-portion including a body of angular shape supported on the base in detachable relation to the main brush, the main brush body being of two-ply construction and shaped to provide an angular opening into which is wedged the detachable body, margins of one of said plies at said opening projecting beyond adjacent edges of the other ply providing rabbets, and the detachable body having tongue-formations engaging in the rabbets.

9. A brush structure for combing machines and the like, comprising a supporting base, a main brush including a body removably secured to the base, and a removable brush-portion including a body of angular shape supported on the base in relation to the main brush permitting removal and replacement. while the main brush stays in place, and a quickly-operable latch on said base cooperating with the detachable body to retain it in place for cooperation with the main'brush.

10. A brush structure for combing vmachines and thelike, comprising a base designed for connection to a "moving machinepart and of substantially cellular form, a brush secured to the base, and a reenforcing and supporting plate between the brush and the base and covering the cells.

11. A brush structure for combing machines and the like, comprising a base designed for connection to a moving machinepart and having a plane area at one face and of substantially cellular form at the other, a brush secured to and supported by the base, and a reenforcing and supporting plate between the brush and the base and overlying cellular formations of the base.

12. A brush structure for combing machines and the like, comprising a base having a fiat surface designed for connection to a moving machine-part and an opposite surface of substantially cellular form, a plate thereon overlying the cellular formations, a brush secured to the base and supported by the plate, and a detachable brush-section secured on said plate in juxtaposition to the main brush and held from relative movement by the latter.

13. A dabbing brush for purposes described, comprising a metal base having a plane face and inte ral reenforcing ribs whereof the edges define the opposite face, the base being designed for connection to a moving machine element, a brush-supporting plate on the ribbed face of the base, and a non-metallic brush-body on the plate.

14. A dabbing brush for purposes described, comprising a metal base having a plane face and integral reenforcing ribs whereof the edges define the opposite face, the base being designed for connection toa moving machine element, a brush-supporting plate on the ribbed face of the base, and a main brush-body on the plate, a detachable brush-section including a body supported on said plate, and means retaining the detachable section in position and against movement relative to the main brush-body.

15. A dabbing brush for purposes described, comprising a metal base having a main wall and integral reenforcing ribs whereof the edges define the opposite face, the base being designed for connection to a moving machine element, a brush supporting and reenforcing plate on the ribbed face of the base, a main brush-body on the plate and contoured to provide a recess, a detachable brush-section including a body fitting the recess. and supported on said plate, and means retaining the detachable section in position, said means including a latch pivotally mounted on the base and having a member engaging the detachable body.

16. A brush structure for combing machines and the like, comprising a main brush and a detachable brush-section engaging the main brush so as normally to be held immovably thereby in working relation in association with the main brush, and quicklyreleasable means cooperating in retaining the brush-section and freeing such section, the combination permitting removal and replacement of such section while the whole remaining structure is in operative relation on the combing machine.

FRANK H. HARDY. 

